The Alchemyst: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott (Book 1)

Rating 4.5 out of 5

Sophie and Josh are twins. They are currently living in San Francisco with their Aunt while their parents are away on an archaeological dig. When they land jobs in the same street; Josh in a book shop and Sophie in a tea shop the twins think that life is good. Their world is turned upside down when they get caught up in an ancient battle between an ancient race called the Elders. They soon learn the lovely elderly couple who ran the book store Nic and Perri are in fact Nicholas and Perennelle Flammel. Now Josh and Sophie are on the run for their lives as the sinister John Dee pursues them looking for Nicholas and the infamous book.

I was loaned this book by a work colleague who highly recommended it. To be honest I did not know anything about this book and put off reading it for awhile. Then I picked it up and decided to give it a go. I don’t know why I was so reluctant to read it I just was which is strange.

Well straight away I was drawn in. What an exciting book. There was lots of action and adventure that made the story tick along. There were no real slow spots. The author was able to balance the need for explanations, character development and fast paced action.

The mythological aspect of this book is really fascinating. I believe all the characters bar Sophie and Josh are mythological beings from history. There were Celtic gods (The Morrigan), and Egyptian gods (Bast). Then there were the characters who were based on actual historical people who might be borderline mythical themselves such as the alchemists Nicholas Flammel, his wife Perenelle and Dr John Dee. From what I could see on the net the author captured all these characters backgrounds accurately. Scatty was my favorite character she knew how to kick ass (which she should being th founder of several martial arts) and was pretty cluey on the kids and what they were thinking.

Sophie and Josh were an interesting mix. Sophie being calmer and more level headed, and Josh being short tempered and suffering foot in mouth disease. They behave more like brother and sister not twins (which they also admit to in the book themselves). The kids are not orphaned which seems to be a popular way of getting parents out of the picture in Young Adult novels these days. However the parents are effectively out as they are away on an archaeological dig leaving the kids basically alone.

The author did a wonderful job bringing the world the book is set in alive. While part is set in the “human” world some is also set in the “magical” world. When he described the World Tree I felt like I was standing right at its base with the characters. Also the story is told from a few different point of views both male and female. The author did a great job with this as well with neither gender falling into a stereotype.

The main thing I really enjoyed which I have already mentioned was the mythological aspect and it is clear the author did his homework. Any kids reading this book will inadvertently get a bit of an education about deities and historical figures.

I would not be suprised if the rights for this book (and series there is supposed to be six books all up) have not already been purchsed to be turned into a movie. To be honest if this was done correctly it would make an awesome movie. Oh wait just did a quick search on the net and it is being turned into a movie and is in production currently!

My only problem with this book is it is clearly part of a series, you will have to read the books in order, and I would recomend having books 2 and 3 (I believe that is all the author has currently released) on hand to continue reading.

I highly recomend this book to anyone who loves YA.

Other stuff

A chapter sample can be found at the authors website.

Other Reviews

Check out TexasRed's review here.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Rating 5 out of 5

The Hunger Games is set in a future in a land called Panem which was North America, is divided into districts. Each district is responsible for one particular item. District 12 where our story begins, is responsible for mining coal and is the poorest.

Katniss Everdeen is sixteen and earns food for her mother and sister by hunting in the nearby woods. They live in an isolated world cut of from almost everyone except the Capitol who dictates how their lives are lived.

Every year the Hunger Games are held. A boy and a girl from each district is selected to compete, and if they win they get fame and fortune, as well as all the food their district needs for a year. There is one catch, only the winner survives.Literally. The Hunger Games is a fight for survival, and the winner is the last person standing. When Katniss’ sister is picked for the 74th Reaping, Katniss quickly takes her place and seals her fate in the Hunger Games.

Well wow. What to say really. This was an amazing book. I have not found a bad review of this book, certainly not in the blogging world and I can see why. This was a real page turner that had you desperate to know more. I literally could not put this book down. Everything about this book just jelled with me.

“A few hours later, the stampede of feet shakes me from slumber. I look around in bewilderment. It’s not yet dawn, but my stinging eyes can see it. It would be hard to miss the wall of fire descending on me.”

The pacing was just the right amount of slow and fast which kept the story flowing;and it did not impede story or character development. Collins was able to get enough information across to give the reader an adequate view of the world she had created with out bogging the story down. The book cleverly manages to be humorous, bleak, touching and sad (I was one step off from bawling at one point) as the children are forced to fight to the death in order to gain food for their district. It is stated that the Hunger Games were a punishment that the Capitol implemented after a failed rebellion.

The basis of the plot is a modern twist on the ancient Gladiator competition and a communist state (though the actual Government structure is never clearly stated). The two are intertwined together to form the main storyline. The Capitol has complete control over its districts, with each district being completely isolated and governed by extreme violence.

I read a comment about the reality TV aspect of this book would quickly date once reality TV was dead and buried. I for one do not agree. In fact I did not see it as a reality TV type show but as a way for the Capitol to manipulate and control its people. Similar to the radio and PA broadcasts that China and the USSR used to get before TV (maybe they still get it, I wouldnt know). Bringing these two elements together creates a truly frightening world that Katniss inhabits.

Where to start with the characters. Katniss is brave and strong, Peeta clever and kind. Both are heroes. These are kids who had to age fast in order to survive and that was before they went to the Hunger Games. Their interaction is believable and the relationship between them fascinating. I don’t want to give anything away but basically there is no nice bow making everything pretty and ok. I don’t know if anyone else noticed but all the characters from the Capitol seemed to have Roman names. I would like to know if this was deliberate or a coincidence.

A fantastic novel that I would highly recommend. I cant wait for the sequel Catching Fire that is due out later this year.

Other Reviews
Books and Musings from Downunder
An Adventure in Reading
Wrighty's Reads
Mom-Musings
From my Bookshelf

Triskellion by Will Peterson

Rating 4 out of 5

Fourteen year old twins Rachel and Adam are sent to live with their Grandmother in England for the summer holidays during their parents messy divorce. When they arrive in the sleepy village of Triskellion they soon discover they are not welcome. The village is deserted, they are greeted with hostility from locals and their own Grandmother is distant. As the danger mounts and people start to get hurt, the twins unravel the secrets of Triskellion. What is the mysterious Triskellion carved into the hill? What is the cloaked group of men in the woods doing? And who is the strange boy who hangs around the village?

Will Peterson is the pseudonym of Author Mark Billingham and television script writer Peter Cocks.

I have to say this book rocked. I could not put it down. I borrowed this from my mother after she highly recommended it. This is the first novel in this series and to my knowledge the first book the authors have collaborated on. There is a sequel due out this year called Triskellion the Burning which I will eagerly snap up (once mum has finished with it of course).

The plot was great. Straight away it pulled the reader in with the creepiness of the village upon the twins arrival. There was an easy flow to the story line and the experience of these two writers shone through. There was a lot of elements in this book, sci-fi, mystery, archaeology, history, thriller and as previously mentioned action. These elements were combined in a way that made sense and were not out of place. I loved the archaeology bits though and must confess to “googling” Triskellion after and reading up on the historical information around it.

“In the split second, screaming and rolling , tumbling headlong away from impact, she could have sworn that the Land Rover was being driven by a huge gray dog.”

I really liked is it was just a little different to the young adult fantasy adventure which seems to be everywhere at the moment (don’t get me wrong I love that stuff). It was a fresh change having more of an X-files kind of feel to it.

Adam and Rachel were very believable as fourteen year olds. I could believe the decisions they made and the actions they took and at no point thought “there is no way a fourteen year old would do that”. The Aussie character Laura was a great treat as she was not portrayed as a “typical” Aussie. I wont reveal who the baddie is but the baddie is well written and scary.

I would definitely recommend this to people who like Young Adult fiction. Probably not suitable to anyone under the age group of fourteen.

Extra Stuff
Sally906 also reviewed this book. Check out her review.

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

Rating: 5 out of 5

I currently have a personal ban on library books while I worked on Mt TBR however when Rise of the Evening Star came in I dropped everything and disappeared into the books depths with a contented sigh. I loved the first book in the Fablehaven series, which I read before I started blogging so I do not have a review here. However if you wish to read a review from my bookshelf has a great review here and is the reason I picked up Fablehaven in the first place.

In the second book Kendra and Seth return to Fablehaven to help their Grandparents over summer break. The sanctuary which is for magical beings is under threat from the secret organisation The Evening Star.

I devoured this book in 24 hours; I just could not put it down. It just sucked me in like the first book did. There is a wonderful humour infused through the book and the action is fast past and exciting. I especially like the mythology developed in the world of Fablehaven.

"Kendra ran to the side of the pool. By the time she arrived Seth was boosting himself out of the water, hair and clothes dripping. “That was the freakiest, awesomest, moment of my life!” Seth declared. “But next time, let me take off my shoes ” "

This series is really interesting and the characters of Kendra and Seth are very well developed and believable. We get to learn more about the world of Fablehaven, and the people who protect the other sanctuaries around the world.

I don’t want to say too much and give the story away as this is a series and certain elements and plots are brought over from book one.

Definitely worth a read if you like Young Adult books that deal with magic and adventure.